Resources/Articles
Losing God
It has been said, “You don’t appreciate something until you have lost it.” Some have even said, “You cannot appreciate something you never had.” Both statements could very well apply to one’s relationship with God. Some lose their close relationship with God, and then come to realize, hopefully before death, how much they really depended on God for joy and peace of mind. Many people could be classified among those who have never experienced salvation, mercy, peace, and hope found in God through Jesus Christ. These people are the true losers, but why are men and women losing God?
MONEY. The rich man in Luke 12:15-21 shows us what covetousness and wealth can do to the heart of man. Once the rich man got his bigger barns built, and his prosperity level enabled him to reach to top ten among Fortune Magazine’s wealthiest people, he forgot God. What a fool he was (v. 21)! How often do you see folks in times of prosperity forget to count their blessings and the source of those blessings?
Even though some may not be classified among the rich, think about what 1 Timothy 6:9,10 says. Not only will the rich man have trouble remembering God, those who are “minded to be rich fall into a temptation and snare.” What a temptation! The desire to BE and HAVE more.
NO HATRED FOR SIN. Sin is the element of separation between God and man (Isaiah 59:1,2). God has despised sin since the days of Adam and Eve. We are even commanded to “abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans 12:9). We can lose touch with the presence of God in our lives once we lose that attitude of hatred for sin. We lose God when we start condoning adultery and homosexual unions as acceptable relationships; justify the actions of young people by saying, “Boys will be boys” and “Girls will be girls;” or do and say things among those in the world to be accepted of them. Let us learn to hate what God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19)!
INDEPENDENCE. This is a free country, but who is truly free without God? “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). So often man allows his pride and intellect to dictate how he should handle the problems and trials of life. Yet who knows more about the troubles of a car than the manufacturer? Who knows more about spiritual survival for the troubled soul than the Creator who made us? more people lose God because they feel their way is so much better, but “the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
What will be the condition of your life if you lose God? Be persuaded and convicted that nothing will cause you to lose God and your relationship with Him (Romans 8:35-39). That is only made possible by resisting the devil and drawing nigh to God (James 4:7,8).
